Another way to say this is, don’t use negatives! Affirmations are one of the most powerful magical tools in existence. Every magic spell or ritual has a statement directing the magical energy to a particular end. Although it is helpful to use tools to achieve a magical result, the root of any magical act is the affirmation. If the affirmation is clear, and we want the result of that affirmation with all our hearts, the affirmation itself is all we actually need to accomplish the result.

Affirmations work by creating a clear image, feeling, and statement about what it is that we want. We use all three senses, sight, feeling, and sound. For example, when we say, “I fly to London,” we visualize ourselves getting on a plane, feel the excitement as we know we are heading to a great city, and firmly announce our intentions to the universe.

Negatives don’t work well in affirmations because they actually invoke the thing that we are trying to avoid. First, we have to make the image or have the feeling, then we try to erase that. For example, if we don’t want to walk home, and make an affirmation that says “I do not walk home,” we first make the image of walking down the street. If we say, “I am not afraid,” we first generate the emotion of fear. Then we have to figure out a way to erase the image or the feeling.

To create strong, successful affirmations, we figure out how to put what we want to say in a positive way. We say, “I take the bus home,” or, “I am filled with peace and courage.”

This secret of magic challenges us to think again in terms of what we want. Instead of saying, “I do not get sick,” creating a magical image of ourselves being unwell, we say, “I remain well,” creating a magical image of ongoing health.

Affirmation

My life is filled with positive energy.
Write this affirmation on a sticky note or 3×5 card and put it where you can see it every day. Repeat the affirmation every day for a week.

Practice: Reframing negative affirmations

In your journal, list negative statements that you give yourself. Leave lots of space between the statements so you can write beneath each one.

• “I’ll never be able to visit London.”
• “I’m so fat!”
• “I’m never going to amount to anything.”

Underneath each of these, reframe them in positive terms.

• “I fly to London.”
• “I am exactly the weight that is most healthy for me.”
• “I am worthy and accomplished.”